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Groundbreaking and Heartbreaking

Two highlights for Oct. 4 — the Soviet Union sends Sputnik into space and Janis Joplin dies of a heroin overdose.

1957 Sputnik becomes the first satellite to orbit Earth and sets off the space race, which culminates 12 years later with an American walking on the moon. For the second Sputnik a dog was onboard and as this story from the BBC indicates, did not fare well. (A warning: Animal Lovers, Do Not Read.) The movie “October Sky,” which had its premiere in 1999, does a good job of describing the stir Sputnik set off in the United States. And you can watch it equally well with little kids or adult kids.

Today in History for October 4thVideo by AssociatedPressLaunch of Sputnik, October 4, 1957Video by akasnuh

1970 Janis Joplin dies of a heroin overdose at age 27. Not much to say about that, except it’s heartbreaking. In this video she’s singing “Piece of My Heart,” my Joplin favorite. She looks about 15. Point of not great consequence: she was not a boomer, nor were most of the rock ‘n’ roll greats of that era.